The Angel in Distress
by AniLovesMe
Summary: "He came up beside her so suddenly that she didn't even have time to be surprised before he was wiping away her tears and kissing away the pain all at once. He kissed her with a passion that brought all the months apart to practically nothing. In this moment, they weren't the Jedi and the Senator, nor the Angel and the Knight They were husband and wife. They were perfect."


Padmé Amidala-Skywalker walked woozily into her apartment. She simply dropped her bag on the floor by the front door and stumbled over to the first seat she saw – the grand white sofa in her enormous living room. Taking off her heavy cloak, she set it on the adjacent chair and let herself – albeit gently – fall back onto the soft cushions. She sighed. Finally she was home and she could relax. She tried to clear her hazy mind as she placed a hand on her growing stomach. She felt the warmth surround her hand; she felt the life inside.

She was six months into her pregnancy, and it had been going rather smoothly – until this last week. She discovered that morning sickness had been cruelly misnamed, and she was quite ill at any hour of the day. She'd been at work when it suddenly came up today, and after she'd run out of a conference meeting with Chancellor Palpatine to go puke in the refresher, she was sent home early with everyone assuming she had picked up a virus. Now the nausea had still not settled, and her head pounded with an incredible headache. Padmé looked around the large room and sighed, incredibly lonely.

If only her Ani were here…

She missed him terribly, especially at times like this, times when he should be here for her. She felt robbed of her husband, and robbed of moments during this precious time that they should be having together. He should be sitting with her, helping her, smiling as he touches her stomach and shares his excitement of becoming a father to their baby. He should be at her beck and call, even waking up in the middle of the night to get her whatever it was she was craving. And she knew he would do it all with a loving smile. He was delighted at the fact that she was pregnant; delighted that they had made a baby together. He already had an enormous love for the unborn child.

But once again, war had torn them apart, and she worried everyday for his safety. Every now and then, there were vicious rumors that he'd been killed. Something would always reach her ears the next day to disprove that – news of victories; battles _he'd_ won – but there was always the part of her that feared the rumors were true. She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind. She hoped he was well and she hoped he was coming home soon.

She slowly sat up and walked to the kitchen, eating some toasted bread that Threepio had set out to help calm her stomach. She watched the sky turn pink and glanced at her bag that she'd dropped to the floor, which was filled with various papers for her to look over and authorize. She was usually awake at late hours of the night trying to finish everything, but as her stomach turned and the sun began to set, she thought that perhaps tonight, rest was the best thing to do.

Anakin Skywalker walked into his wife's dark apartment penthouse a few minutes after midnight. He sighed as he felt himself completely relax for the first time in months. He was finally _home_. Finally back with his beautiful wife, whom he was dying to see. He'd thought about contacting her when he found out he and Obi-Wan had been assigned back to Coruscant for a much needed break, but he wanted to surprise her. He'd hoped to find her awake, but tonight the place was dark and quiet, except for a few low ramblings coming from the hallway. A droid, his gold plating shining in the moonlight from the large windows, walked hastily into the room. Anakin smiled and put his figure to his lips, shushing the droid that had begun speaking rather loudly with excitement at the sight of him.

Anakin softly greeted his creation. "Hey, Threepio."

"Master Anakin! I'm so pleased to see you home and unharmed!"

"Thanks." He replied. "Where's Padmé?"

"I am afraid Miss Padmé retired early tonight. If she knew you were coming she most certainly would have stayed awake. Shall I rouse her?" C-3PO asked.

"No." Anakin replied. "That's alright. I'll just go in." He walked past the droid and was almost in the hallway when C-3PO spoke again.

"Is there anything I might get you?"

Anakin restrained from rolling his eyes. He had been away for three long, grueling months. He was tired and drained and seriously deprived of his wife. All he wanted was to see Padmé, whether she was asleep or not. If this blasted droid didn't shut up…

"No thank you, Threepio. You can power down for the night."

"Yes, sir." And with that, the droid retired.

_Finally,_ Anakin thought. He walked into the master bedroom that he and Padmé shared and stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of her. She was becoming more and more beautiful every time he saw her, even in her sleep! She was so relaxed, so peaceful; like the angel he always knew she was. He debated whether to wake her, but decided against it when he noticed that her mid-section had grown considerably in the last three months. He smiled at his baby-to-be. He was glad that Padmé was getting the rest she needed… this pregnancy must have changed her sleeping habits for the better!

He walked over and gently kissed his wife's stomach, then her forehead, careful not to wake her. Then he kicked off his shoes and slipped out of his shirt, finally laying in his own bed after what seemed like years. The haunting images and rough months in the war zone seemingly faded from his mind as the warm feeling of contentment let him fall into a deep, restful sleep.

~()~

The air outside was blurred and misty, permeated by the thick fog of a cloud hovering in the Coruscant atmosphere. The rain was light but constant, and small streaks of lightening split the sky as bursts of thunder followed.

Padmé sat in silence on a couch in her grand living room, watching the relentless storm through the enormous glass wall that led out to the veranda deck of her penthouse.

It was the middle of the night.

She sighed. It wasn't necessarily that she couldn't sleep. Indeed, she was often up at outrageous hours of the night feeling ill. But tonight was different. Tonight when she'd awoke to the feeling of nausea, she was startled to find another person sleeping soundly in her bed. When she realized that only _one_ person in the entire galaxy would ever be sleeping next to her, she thought she was dreaming. But no - this was real. He looked so serene… and yet so incredibly exhausted. In the past three months he'd been gone, she'd spoken with him through a hologram, and he'd looked… _haunted_; war-torn and conflicted, with gory images of the violence of a war zone still playing in his head. Now he looked so peaceful. Finally relaxed.

A wave of both nausea and emotion came over her, and she quickly exited the room for fear of waking him up. Now alone in the living room, tears filled her eyes, tears of ultimate relief; relief that everything that _could've_ happened to him _didn't _happen to him. After agonizing months of fear and worry, he was finally here.

Her tears of relief soon mixed with tears of a nearly overwhelming dizzy spell as it suddenly swept over her. Emotions, dizziness, and hormones - she loved being pregnant, but she hated feeling like this!

~()~

Anakin was sound asleep, but something wouldn't let him continue. The Force was poking at him, gently prodding him awake until his mind was alert enough to read the thought that was bugging him. Only one thing came into his head: Padmé.

Anakin slowly opened his eyes to find the place next to him void of its occupant. He sat up, trying to clear his fatigued mind. He didn't even have to see her to sense that she was awake or to sense her emotions in the Force. She was… distressed? He glanced at the chrono and grew even more confused. What in the world was Padmé doing at three o'clock in the morning that was making her feel so distressed? And it wasn't just one emotion. There were several rolling through her… relief being the first among them, and that he could understand. He knew she never stopped worrying when he was away. But he didn't understand all the other emotions: anger, helplessness, fatigue…

He stood and slipped on his tunic, walking out into the living room. It was there he saw his angel.

He came up beside her so suddenly that she didn't even have time to be surprised before he was wiping away her tears and kissing away the pain all at once. He kissed her with a passion that brought all the months apart to practically nothing.

Her anxieties melted away at his touch, and she realized that this was what she needed: to see him and feel him and _breathe_ him. He was home. He was safe. And he was in her arms. For just this moment, her world was perfect. When the kiss broke, it was all she could do not to cry again – this time from pure joy and contentment.

"Oh, Anakin…"

"I'm here, Angel." He whispered, drawing her close. "I always will be." She pulled back and his eyes bore into hers. "Never doubt that."

She shook her head, tears filling her eyes again. "There were whispers…"

"And that's all they were. I promise you, Padmé, I will always come back to you." When he was satisfied that she understood this, he smiled at her, speaking softly. "Now what's all this about? Is our baby causing trouble already?"

She laughed - the first she'd truly laughed in three months. She raised her hands to where his rested, cupping her face and wiping the last tear with his thumb. "Maybe. Or maybe I've been going a little crazy without you."

"Hmm," He laughed. He leaned closer, touching his forehead to hers. "Me too."

They sat there together, drinking in the feel of each other. The lightening flashed outside and the thunder roared, louder and closer than before. Anakin slowly stood, taking her hand and pulling her up with him. He kissed her again, his lips soft and sweet on hers. How he had missed his Angel.

She deepened the kiss and leaned into him, her hands traveling up his bare chest to rest on his shoulders, pushing off the tunic. It landed gently on the floor. The action confirmed the unspoken longing.

He softly broke the kiss, smiling.

She smiled back at him and stood on tiptoe, kissing him again. He easily lifted her, even with the baby, and she found herself melting in his strong, muscular arms.

In this moment, they were no longer the Senator and the Jedi, nor were they The Angel and The Knight. In this moment, they were husband and wife. They were perfect.

~()~

**I really love this one! I spent a lot of time on it, and while I've always thought about it, I've never actually written an Anakin/Padme fic before. So yeah, I'm really proud. I worked hard to keep them in character and from what I've read and researched, this is how they are when they are together and not hiding or putting on a front for others. This might have a bit too much description in it, I don't know. You tell me. I really wanted to capture the feelings. Feedback, reviews, and critiques are always appreciated. And yes, I AM working on my other stories, thanks for wondering! ;) **

**~Ani**


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